Description

Written for researchers, professionals and students, this book examines the dynamics and dilemmas of internal management consultancy. Written for researchers, professionals and students, this timely book explores how management is changing by adopting consultancy practices. Based on a large-scale, international study of new management practices, it sheds light on the role of the consultant manager and examines the threat it poses to external consultancy. Written for researchers, professionals and students, this timely book explores how management is changing by adopting consultancy practices. Based on a large-scale, international study of new management practices, it sheds light on the role of the consultant manager and examines the threat it poses to external consultancy. The nature of management is changing: managers are becoming more like consultants, focusing on projects, functional integration, change and 'clients'. This timely book is based on a large-scale, international study of new management practices and examines the emergence of consultant managers. It breaks new ground in our understanding of this hybrid role, uncovering working practices, identities and occupational dynamics, to shed light on both management and consultancy. It unpacks the changing relationship between external consultants and management to reveal important implications for the future of consultancy. Both private and public sectors are covered, with a focus on managers in large and multinational organisations such as former consultants and those in specialisms such as human resource management who adopt consulting roles. In addition to advancing our understanding of changes in management, this book offers a demystifying view of consultancy as a whole, from one of the largest ever studies of this occupation. 1. Management as consultancy - a case of neo-bureaucracy; 2. Neo-bureaucratic management and consultancy; 3. The research study; 4. The work activities of the consultant manager; 5. Managing relationships as a consultant manager; 6. The occupational and career tensions of the consultant manager; 7. The identity boundaries and threats of the consultant manager; 8. Conclusion; Appendix 1. Details of UK interview respondents; Appendix 2. Details of Australian interview respondents; Appendix 3. Key features of UK internal consultancy units (ICUs); Appendix 4. Data analysis on standardisation in UK and Australian case studies; References; Index. 'The central proposition of this book is highly intriguing and captured my attention immediately. The authors argue convincingly that we need to re-think our assumptions about what management is and the role of management consultants as external experts doing different things to managers. It will have a very substantial impact on academic debate and, perhaps more importantly, on how practicing managers see their roles and careers.' Timothy Morris, University of Oxford 'In an age of information and connectivity, power and advantage for organisations is no longer gleaned through controlling information flows and decisions through a structured chain of command. Organisations are evolving to respond to the new 'networked economy', and from this has evolved what Sturdy, Wright and Wylie term the 'consultant manager'. Management as Consultancy is thought-provoking, and provides important insights for organizations to grasp in the evolving world of work.' Charlotte Park, Partner and Managing Director, Mercer Singapore 'Both